7News Boston WHDH-TV: The Butler Elementary School PTA in Belmont reversed the decision to cancel a field trip to see "The Nutcracker" after some parents claimed it had questionable content.
The trip to see the famous ballet has been a tradition at the school for years, but apparently some felt the trip was improper because there is a Christmas tree on the stage.
15 comments:
This is absolutely ridiculous. For one thing, this is a field trip. Do you have to go on field trips? No. It's not required. A piece like the Nutcracker is so iconic and it's strikingly beautiful. Yes, it's about a little girl on Christmas, but the heart of the matter is that you're providing a chance to experience art to kids and then taking it away. At that age, the experience of going to the theatre and seeing a show is remembered more than the actual show. Maybe I would have a different opinion if I wasn't Catholic, but I'm really disappointed in this community. These kids had a wonderful opportunity to see the ballet and now they no longer can see it. All because of Christian themes. Well, guess what people, SOME THINGS MAY HAVE RELIGION IN THEM. That doesn't make them bad theatre. Just because your views don't match up with what's onstage doesn't invalidate the show. Let the kids see the Nutcracker. It's harmless, unless you have a phobia of giant rats. In that case, stay far away.
I don't think the Nutcracker has religious over tones. Yes it has a Christmas tree, but that hardly makes it religious. It is not like the message of the Nutcracker is that if you do not convert to Christianity you will burn in hell. Given this really all the Nutcracker is doing is including Christmas. I was raised Jewish and we still went to see the Nutcracker every winter. All you need is a basic understanding of what Christmas is. And at this point it is hardly a religious holiday. People are getting so worried about being politically correct it feels like studying other cultures will soon be taboo.
I think that people need to more carefully consider what the issue is with being exposed to certain content. Personally, I was not raised in a household that celebrates Christmas, but it is in no way offensive to me to see a Christmas tree. Aside from the fact that a Christmas tree is not very strongly tied to the religious aspects of the holiday, there is a difference between children being exposed to a Christmas symbol versus children being told that they should be practicing Christianity. There is nothing wrong with allowing children to know that Christmas exists, whether that is something a family practices or not, children should still be aware of the various religions and their traditions. Taking elementary school students is simply generating awareness in children of one common tradition in American culture.
Given that people are becoming more aware of possible discrimination in schools, I'm glad that this is a conversation that has been happening. That said, preventing discrimination against religion is not the same as removing all incidents of religion at all. Like it or not, we live in a world where the vast majority of people live with some kind of religious faith, and pretending that those faiths don't exist won't help the children handle it, it will just shelter them from an inevitable truth.
While I appreciate the push to be more sensitive about faiths other than christianity, I think shows like the Nutcracker that take place during Christmas but aren't necessarily religious still have a place, culturally. I think the solution is, rather than banning the Nutcracker, also take the children to see show that portray all faiths in a positive light. If this is a case of "all or nothing," it is much better for the kids to have a cultural understanding of "all."
People are so silly. Yeah, religion is a touchy subject now because people are being all sensitive and crap, but that shouldn't mean that you can't watch something that has a little bit of religion in it just because you don't want to be converted. By this logic, any show or movie that includes a wedding has to be cut out. Anything that involves all holidays have to be cut out. Everything pretty much is cut out because there are allusions to the Bible EVERYWHERE. You can't avoid them. You really can't. It's physically impossible to avoid all religion. Atheists still enjoy Christmas even though they aren't celebrating it as a time of Jesus's birth. They celebrate it as a time of giving and family. They still have a Christmas tree up, but they aren't worshiping Christ.
There is being sensitive, and then there is being over sensitive. I would hate to be one of those kids and get blocked from seeing a classic ballet just because it happens to coincide with Christmas. I can't believe that the PTA would be so stupid. If you don't want your kids exposed to religion, home school them and stop bothering everyone else with your little issues.
Arguments like this seem to dilute the very real, and very troubling lack of separation between church and state. While the story takes place at Christmas, it is mostly a tale of a child's fantasy world and the hijinks that ensue. The family, being Christian, celebrates Christmas. If you find that problematic content for your child, then don't let them go, but then you open yourselves up to limiting the dialogue between people of different religions in schools, so that children learn nothing more about religious diversity than what they learn at home. That may be preferable to a lot of parents, but there are sociological, anthropological and many other secular -ogical impacts religion has on a group of people, that I think school's would be remiss in ignoring. Now, I do think that Christians (myself included) need to be mindful of the fact that our society is set up in such a way that our religious and cultural traditions are very much dominant, to the point of being oppressive, in our society, but I'm not sure cancelling a fun and positive outing is doing that. Unless the argument is really about the rampant racism in Act II, then by all means, protest away.
Absurd.
First off, field trips have always been voluntary. No one is forcing the children to go see the nutcracker. You don't agree with the message, don't sign the permission slip.
Also, it's a tree. All you do is look at a tree. No one is handing out flyers or baptizing people in the aisles. There's a tree, for 15 minutes, and then it's gone when they leave the house set.
You want to know what I would be worries about if my children went to see the show? Probably the giant rats. Huge giant rats that kidnap children and kill soldiers in a bloodier stage fight than les mis.
Why is no parent upset over the violence depicted in the show? Kidnapping, greed, murder, even theft.
It seems like people only get angry towards religious instances while every other 'sin' is forgiven.
I don't want to say this is a ridiculous concern, because if your child is of a different religion or no religion at all then you have every right to feel uncomfortable with them seeing what is considered the proper way to celebrate the holiday season. I know there were some Muslim children in my elementary school, who were made to feel uncomfortable because the winter holiday season was celebrated differently in their home than what most of us were used to. I don't think that going to see the Nutcracker in any way forces children to ascribe to any certain religion, but I can see how it would be hard for someone to relate to it or their classmates christmas experiences, if they have never had them. If some parents are uncomfortable then like with all field trips they should be able to say no, but everyone shouldn't have to sit out.
I will never understand all the fuss people make over the trappings of Christmas, or the emphasis on 'Happy Holidays' over 'Merry Christmas'. So long as the sentiment is there, do the words that are being said to convey that sentiment matter? Also, I find it mildly amusing that they are citing a Christmas tree as an example of the religious symbols that make them uncomfortable, as the Christmas tree was originally a pagan symbol that was considered holy because it was the only tree that remained green during the winter months.
O where have you gone Massachusetts? Now don't get me wrong, I hate Christmas as much as the next red-blooded American, but I hate over-sensitivity even more, and I am so bored with this debate, on both sides. On the one hand you have the whiners on the left complaining about the pervasiveness of what was once a religious holiday with its symbolism plastered over every advertising surface for at least two months. On the other hand you have the froth-at-the-mouth conservatives blathering on about a "war on Christmas." Jesus who the hell cares? Both sides are railing from a position of entitlement that only serves to divide us further. Sad to see dragged into this useless debate a harmless tradition, one of the few left and one of the few based on attending, god forbid, a high art form. Is there anything religious about Christmas any more? Was there ever anything religious about The Nutcracker? Maybe we should all just try to take a break from being so goddamn incensed about everything for a minute and try to regain some perspective about the pitiful meaninglessness of our problems.
I'm so confused as to why parents were against this trip. Why can't you just not send your child? It's the same as keeping a child home for whatever x, y, or z reason. Unless the trip was telling your child that the way you live your life and that your beliefs are wrong, trips like this and exposure to other children of different races, cultures, religions, etc... is critical for children to learn about diversity in the world and what makes it as amazing as it is. I can understand why parents can be picky about this, but honestly, as others have said, this is more about the experience of theater than it is about religion or another controversial topics.
This is pretty weird article to read. I don't understand the school, and I don't understand the parents. I would be like "Ya, field trip, cool, Ballet? Awesome. Whatever, let's go" rather than having this become an issue. I mean, the performance is classic and it's good for kids and family. I would be jealous of this school because my elementary school would never ever take students anywhere, like never. We were kept in the school all the time and I remembered once they allow the 4-6 graders to go see a movie, it was a huge thing and we were so excited, I still remembered it until now. And uh... religious issue? Is that something to do with men performers wear white leotard and female performers wear short tutu?
I remember in middle school we used to take an annual field trip to see The Nutcracker. We would not go see a professional ballet, but rather a local dance studio's production as performed by grade school students. It was especially exciting one year because my friend was playing Clara! While I do think it is a nice tradition, I also see how it could be harmful to present in a public school setting. At least where I am from, the winter season is vastly dominated by Christmas things. Christmas music, movies, decorations, etc. If you are a person who follows another religion, I imagine it is very easy to feel isolated or unimportant during those months, which is totally unfair of our culture to do. Because Christmas ha been so popularized, it is easy for those who celebrate the holiday to write off those who don't as being whiny or overreacting because they don't want to attend a Christmas-themed ballet. All in all, I doubt the ballet did much harm and I'm sure any sort of person can find enjoyment in the physical feats, but I also think that those who complained and tried to cancel the trip were justified in doing so.
You have got to be kidding me. Yes, the ballet has a Christmas tree in it. That doesn't mean that the show is going to turn your kid toward one religion or the other, especially when the show has little to no religious overtones. Just because the show is set during Christmas time doesn't mean that the show will be all about Christianity. I understand that people are trying to be more politically correct, but you don't go about that by shielding yourself from art that includes elements from other cultures and religions. You do so by observing and understanding other these other cultures and religions and by keeping an open mind. The other grimy thing about this article is that a small group of parents decided to make this decision in secret for everyone, and took away opportunities to see art from kids other than their own. That's not at all fair.
Post a Comment